Spring into Self-Compassion: How to Handle Body Image Issues as the Weather Warms
How Spring Affects Body Image and Mental Health
We are finally crawling out of the depths of winter and are now able to spend more time outside. The days are getting longer, and the ability to comfortably get sun on our faces is more accessible. It is incredible.
However, it can be one of the most triggering times of the year for my friends who often struggle with their body image and eating habits. You can’t go into a store or scroll through social media without seeing images of people in swimsuits, ads for “skinny teas” or tips and tricks on how to get that “bikini body” ready for summer.
Common Springtime Body Image Triggers
Here are some ways that spring triggers body image struggles and how to cope with body image issues in spring after working on this with clients over the years:
Shedding Layers: Feeling Exposed and Vulnerable
As the weather warms up, we wear less. Obviously. What is not so obvious every year, however, is that our body may have changed a bit over the cooler months and therefore the clothes that we were planning on wearing no longer fit us. Queue body image issues…it’s no wonder why spring is hard for body image. We also don’t always account for how weird it might feel to go from being fully covered in jeans and sweaters and coats and boots to having our arms, legs, and feet exposed. We can feel practically naked, leaving us to feel especially self-conscious about our bodies and vulnerable.
How To Cope With Springtime Self-Consciousness:
Being aware of the season change and upcoming body image triggers, and trying on clothes in the transitional months (think March or April) goes a long way. It gives you a chance to be able to find out what fits, move things out of the way so you don’t have those pairs of jean shorts staring at you all summer, and find things that do fit. Now is not the time to punish yourself for your body changing and delusionally (or more aptly, dangerously) promise yourself that you will fit into those by June. Your body deserves to be comfy, so find clothes that make you feel that way. When you’re trying on new clothes, bring awareness to how they make you emotionally and physically feel. How might it feel when you sweat in them? Do they cling anywhere that could potentially be annoying? Are they easy to move in, or does the waistband cut in which brings your awareness to a part of your body that could be uncomfortable for you?
Another tip? Try wearing some of your spring clothes around the house to get used to how it feels. The first time you go outside in shorts, have self-compassion and remind yourself that nobody thinks you are exposed in the way that you feel you are, and shift your awareness to the task at hand.
More Social Events, More Body Comparisons
The exposure to more sunlight gives us all more energy. More time outside increases our feel-good hormones and therefore we feel more social than we might normally. We also begin to see each other more because we are doing lawn work, playing outside, going to sports games, and so on. This is so wonderful, and can also be challenging for those who struggle with body comparison.
Before we start to be hard on ourselves for comparing our bodies to others, it is important to recognize that our culture primes us for this behavior from the get go. We grow up exposed to media that tells us (both implicitly and explicitly) what our bodies should look like, how we should behave with them, and how we should present them. No wonder so many of us have body image issues. It is not your fault that you find yourself noticing other people’s bodies and comparing your body against them.
How To Cope With Body Comparison:
It can be helpful to be aware that comparing your body to others is something you have the tendency to do so that you can prepare yourself ahead of time. That way, when critical thoughts come in, you can either address and reframe them, or mindfully note that you had that thought and watch it come and go. Another way to address body comparison is to bring your awareness back to something you're doing, even if it is something small. This teaches the brain that you don’t have to spiral out about it, while simultaneously focusing on what you can control.
Diet Talk and “Beach Body” Messaging
Every January 1st is a hard time for body image, and so is summer. We are supposed to be mostly there with the progress we promised ourselves at the turn of the year. The ever elusive “beach-ready body” hasn’t appeared yet and apparently we only have ourselves to blame. The over-saturated messages about detoxes, restrictive eating habits, and workout challenges are unavoidable. This is especially triggering for people who are recovering from an eating disorder or trying to overcome chronic dieting.
How To Cope With Diet Talk:
First foremost, if you wouldn’t do the diet for ten years, don’t do it for a day. Overly-strict eating habits only lead to binge eating behaviors or encourage further restriction. Feeling that internal surge of panic about needing to completely overhaul your eating habits is usually a sign that you need to wait until you’re less activated to do anything.
This is when I encourage my clients to lean into Intuitive Eating. Intuitive Eating has ten principles that you can read about here. Intuitive Eating focuses on having food freedom, while also respecting your body, and honoring its hunger and fullness cues. Instead of letting the harmful narratives around losing weight make food the enemy, Intuitive Eating aims to help people have a relaxed and healthy relationship with food.
As for changes in movement, the same thing goes. Intuitive Eating does have a whole section about movement and the importance of utilizing it wisely. You can read about it in the Intuitive Eating book. The important thing about Intuitive Eating is to not punish yourself with exercise, but to find movement that feels good to you. Incorporating movement into a daily routine has profound effects on mental health and can be a really helpful tool in managing stress during this time.
Therapist-Approved Strategies to Cope With Body Image Issues
Reframe Negative Self-Talk
Body image is (or at least, can be) an internal battleground. It can feel isolating and, quite frankly, depressing to hear the inner critic all of the time. Identifying the ways in which you talk to yourself about your body is so important. If negative self-talk goes unchecked, it begins to feel like facts and you begin to think and feel accordingly.
Does this mean you have to be overly positive about your body to yourself in order to combat some of this critical thinking? Absolutely not. It does mean, however, that the thought needs to at least be called out. Label a negative thought something; call it a “Karen” if that resonates. I find it helpful to have my clients ascribe this voice not to them and their own thoughts about their body, but to Diet Culture. Externalizing negative self-talk helps you to be critical of those thoughts and not yourself for having them.
I have mixed feelings about mantras. I think they work for some people and not others, so take this advice or leave it. Find a mantra about positive self-image that you actually believe (don’t force yourself to be in a place with your body that you simply aren’t yet) and use it when you notice the negative body image taking over. It can be a quick way of regulating yourself so that you don’t spiral out. If you are having a hard time coming up with mantras or affirmations for your body, here is a list to get you started.
Use Somatic Tools to Cultivate Body Safety
We talk about this all of the time when I do Somatic Experiencing with clients: healing trauma (or in this case, negative body image) requires safety. Having safe experiences in the body is a great antidote to difficult feelings about your body image. This is why finding experiences, or even dropping into experiences of pleasure helps so much with body image. Some examples that feel somatically good to some of my clients:
Getting in the bath
The first sip of coffee in the morning
Hugs from loved ones
Stretching
Lighting incense
Breathing fresh air
Any way that you can create positive, safe experiences for your body is important. Be sure to be really present; take a moment to notice what kind of feedback your body gives you that lets you know that experience is pleasurable. Does your body feel melty? Do you notice that your breath becomes even, and your heart rate slows? Does your chest feel warm and gooey? Chase that feeling!
Your Body Deserves Kindness This Spring
If you find yourself having an extra difficult spring and summer season with body image and can’t seem to find relief on your own, a therapist can definitely help. Be sure to talk to your existing therapist about it or find a therapist who is knowledgeable in this area. You don’t have to struggle with negative body image on your own!
Frequently Asked Questions About Body Image Issues
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Shedding winter layers, diet culture messaging, social gatherings, and media comparison are all seasonal triggers for body image issues.
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To combat body image triggers, be gentle with yourself. Choose clothes that feel good, challenge harmful thoughts, and use grounding techniques to reconnect with your body.
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Intuitive eating encourages listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. It replaces guilt-driven dieting with trust and nourishment.
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Somatic tools include body-based practices like stretching, breathwork, and sensory awareness that help build a sense of safety in your body.
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If seasonal shifts cause persistent distress or disrupt daily functioning, working with a therapist who specializes in body image or eating disorders can provide lasting support.
Stevie Spiegel is a Licensed Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner located in Kansas City. She uses Somatic Experiencing as her main body-based trauma healing modality, as well as EMDR. As an Intuitive Eating Counselor, she uses these principles to help her clients challenge their relationship with their cultural misconceptions about their body and food.
